Advanced construction modeling software such as AUTODESK REVIT allows users to create three-dimensional models called Building Information Models (BIM) for use in construction documentation. REVIT can be used as an authoring tool by designers for designing buildings. Using other software, construction teams can review the model at the construction site, such as on a mobile device. The visualization provided by the models may allow users to streamline job site inspections, job site workflow, coordination, and reporting of field performance.
However, three-dimensional construction models also include technical limitations that can limit their usefulness. For example, in a multi-floor building, it is difficult to visualize only a floor plan for a particular floor within the model. A user may need to adjust the view angle, and turn off multiple layers of information before a floor plan is viewable, and even then it will contain distracting and unnecessary artifacts.
Current technology to view a floor plan within a three-dimensional model includes several technology-specific problems. For example, AUTODESK BIM 360 GLUE can interpret a three-dimensional model to reveal a two-dimensional floor, but the presentation is difficult to view and does not appear as a 2D line drawing. Instead, it is simply the same polygons as the three dimensional model, complete with textures such as carpet that are distracting and irrelevant to a contractor working on infrastructure elements of the plan. Important construction elements, such as points in a wall, may be hidden by the three-dimensional polygons or textures.
If a contractor wishes to eliminate unneeded polygons, textures, or other elements to see the type of line drawing they are familiar with, they currently must heavily manipulate the three-dimensional model (e.g., BIM file). This is time consuming, requires specialized software knowledge, and can cause the three-dimensional model to be permanently altered. Thus, a designer or other worker may no longer be able to easily view the other aspects of the three-dimensional model that were manually modified and/or removed.
Additionally, altering the 3D model into a useable 2D line drawing is currently not possible on a tablet, because of processing power restraints. Even if the contractor's tablet were powerful enough to run the associated authoring tool and make the conversion, the contractor might inadvertently eliminate architectural details that they would prefer to have left in the 3D model or 2D line drawing.
Additionally, working with more than one floor plan (e.g., the entire building) at a time can be a further drain on performance of the computing device (e.g., tablet) when the contractor is trying to access details of a particular floor. Applying filters to control visibility by floor is difficult and cumbersome, leading to frustration for the construction team.
Therefore, based on at least these technology-specific problems, a need exists for improved construction site modeling systems that can present two-dimensional line drawings for each floor in an existing three-dimensional model.